Design and Construction
Mills gave the Picnic Cat a plumb bow and a nearly vertical transom, so the waterline sits within inches of the 14-foot overall length and the boat carries its length in usable platform. The sheer is pleasant, with a high bow section flowing aft to a slight lift at the stern. The fiberglass is entirely hand-laid and carries a sturdy feel. The centerboard itself is a 1/4-inch stainless steel plate, and the trunk is stainless covered with mahogany; the whole board-and-trunk assembly weighs 100 pounds, most of it in the board, which is a large fraction of the 500-pound displacement and accounts for much of the boat's settled composure. With board up and rudder folded the hull draws only 6 inches, making beach landings a genuine option rather than a fantasy.
Rig and Handling
The gaff rig sits low, with a center of effort that pairs with the hull's nearly flat deadrise to produce tremendous form stability. The mast folds just above the gooseneck on a permanently affixed hinge with a locking system that keeps it rigid, and because the hinge acts as a tabernacle, raising the mast is easy; sails and stays stay attached to the mast when stored. The mainsheet leads from midboom through a four-part tackle to a cam cleat on the centerboard trunk, and one person handles mainsheet and tiller without difficulty. The boat sails with near-neutral helm until you try to pinch it to windward; as wind builds, weather helm grows, and easing the peak halyard to scandalize the rig trims that tendency. The rudder is aluminum, deep rather than far aft, and hinges to kick up for beaching, though the tiller passes through a horizontal transom opening that makes a hinge awkward to engineer. A varnished laminated tiller completes the picture.
Accommodations and Cockpit
The self-draining cockpit runs 9 feet 6 inches long and is framed by a large bench seat with a high back rest. Lifting the seats exposes a cavernous storage area. A teak seat amidships on the transom hides a 3-gallon auxiliary tank neatly underneath. Seat cushions are an option, offered either as two long cushions spanning the seat or as six smaller ones stowable under the seat. An outboard bracket is standard, and most owners report the Honda 2HP four-stroke as their engine of choice, with the long shaft version preferred to keep the prop immersed in a seaway.
The Verdict
The Picnic Cat is a focused design: a 14-foot, 500-pound shallow-draft picnic boat with a folding gaff mast, steel centerboard, and a cockpit that doubles as a storage trunk. It rewards the sailor who wants minimal rigging and maximum beach access, and it handles short-handed with neutral manners until pressed.
Pros
- Folds mast with tabernacle hinge for easy solo raising; sails and stays stay attached
- 6-inch draft with board and rudder up enables real beach landings
- Tremendous form stability from flat deadrise and low gaff rig center of effort
- Long self-draining cockpit with cavernous seat storage
Cons
- Weather helm builds with wind and needs rig scandalizing to control
- Tiller through transom opening makes a rudder hinge hard to engineer
- Minimal accommodations; cushions and engine are optional or owner-supplied
